Great advice thanks, would you please share what those iCharger features are that you can't live without are.

There are a few unique features with the iChargers but the one that I would most miss and use rather frequently is the instantaneous internal resistance measurement capability. I can take a pile of 20-30 lipolys and measure individual cell internal resistance of all of them within a few minutes. I also use it to test IR of lipolys for friends at the field when they have problematic packs or just want an assessment of performance capabilities of a particular pack.

Very true, which is why I qualified my statement as 'instantaneous'. The PL6 requires one to initiate a charge cycle and wait for several minutes. If measuring 20-30 packs, this would take an arduously long time, and why I would also have a 106B+ if I had a PowerLab.

I see something disappointing and brings the PL6 and the iCharger 306 closer than I read in posts supporting the PL6. According to this on the PL6 you can only charge to 32.3A (not 40A) for 6S batteries using a 24V PS, am I reading this right?

That chart uses a very conservative 85% efficiency. However real world test results show the efficiency is above 90% Here are my test results using two DPS-600pb supplies (24v). More on this test and comparison to other chargers here.

There is very subtle difference in a few charger specs that do not tell the entire story. Using the same 24v supply charging 6s the Powerlab will hit its INPUT current limit (40 amps) before its output current limit. With the same configuration the 306b will hit is OUTPUT (30 amps) current limit before hitting its input current limit.

Why is this important? Its because the output wattage is relative to the pack voltage. For the iCharger to hit its limit of 756 watts, the pack needs to be nearly full. It will start the charge around 700 watts and slowly ramp up.

The Powerlab6 starts it's charge at 860 watts (160 more than the 306b) and sustains that output through the entire CC (constant current) stage. This means the Powerlab6 is putting in more mah earlier in the charge. This will fill the pack faster than the 306b's slow rampup. The result is a much faster CC stage. See below:

This test was intended to show the differences in the high output stage of charging where the maximum output of the charger is the only factor being tested. To show the entire charge cycle to the end can be impacted and influenced by charger settings and pack condition. In addition, higher charge rates have inherently longer CV stages due to the nature of the chemistry and its voltage sag characteristics. The test is to demonstrate the raw power capabilities during the entire high current stage of the charge cycle. This is the reason that one cannot use a single specification to accurately compare two chargers.

Does anyone know of any online videos of the PowerLab charger going through the menus to set up a charge? Plenty on the iChargers but I cannot find any one the PL.

I would say that's because the PL6 is all profile driven any many people change the profiles. This is a pro or a con depending on the preferences of the person using it. If you look at the Revolectrix site there are quite a few videos and photos but they mostly focus on the PC software (which is well worth the cost of the adapter). The manual for the PL6 is very good, you should give it a look.

I would say that's because the PL6 is all profile driven any many people change the profiles. This is a pro or a con depending on the preferences of the person using it. If you look at the Revolectrix site there are quite a few videos and photos but they mostly focus on the PC software (which is well worth the cost of the adapter). The manual for the PL6 is very good, you should give it a look.

I have viewed all of their video's and only one touches briefly the menues when doing a parallel charge and the rest are covering the CCS. As I do more of my charging at the field the CCS is not that much of an interest for me. Having used the iCharger for so long I find I guess my charging needs are pretty basic. I only have 3 sizes of lipos and one A123 for my gas planes. I parallel charge everything but the 123's. I have read the manual and I wish they at least had a menu flow chart displayed so you can get a feel for the order of the menu selections.

I have viewed all of their video's and only one touches briefly the menues when doing a parallel charge and the rest are covering the CCS.

At about 1:56 Howard walks through the charge startup. While this is for 3 packs in parallel the procedure is the same for a single pack, except you tell the charger there is only one pack connected. The process shown in the video can be shorted by using "quick start". Once the preset has your desired settings (current settings, etc) for the pack, to start the charge all you have to do is press and hold the start button. You get one confirmation of the pack chemistry and the charge cycle starts.